Attached is a picture of my Ap Fjellheim, the tree in question, taken last summer after receiving it. Today, while out in my garage (all my potted JM's have been kept in the garage for winter; I open the garage door so they can have ~4 hours of sun each day), I noticed that nearly all the branch tips were black. This discoloration was anywhere from 1/4" to 3/4" in length. I didn't take a picture first, unfortunately, but I cut off all the blackened tips to just below the discoloration - not a huge deal as it is very nicely branched for the size, but still a concern to me. I am correct in thinking that this could be Pseudomonas, or is it something else? I've read the coral bark maples are susceptible to winter die-back, but I thought it would be safe if kept in the garage (no windows, un-insulated/heated)... All my potted maples (about 30) were treated with the Bayer 3 in 1 (insecticide, fungicide, and mites) Systemic in late November, prior to being placed in the garage. They've been watered 1-2 times since then. We've had a really mild winter thus far, with a few pretty cold nights here and there, so could this be a contributor? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!! :)
Hi, I think it may be difficult to determine without actually seeing the plant itself. Was or is the soil too wet? Maybe a combination of its garage environment and watering. Maybe the tips were tender and got hit by too much cold. Where did you get this plant last year? It is nice and full? Best Regards, Stephen
See attached picture with my first post - this is what the tree looks like, without leaves currently of course. Don't think the soil has been too wet, I've let it dry out significantly (though not totally dry) in between waterings, which have been about 2x/month. Last summer was murder - literally - on my plants, so I'm wondering if some of this is actual die-back due to the heat from summer that's only visible now...
I concur to this assertion. In my garden all coral barks, whether they are in the ground or in pots, have a huge amount of tip die-back in the winter and early spring. 'Fjellheim' is one of the worst cases. It all seems to point out to pseudomonas as the culprit. I do not treat them with anything. I just prune off the blackened tips to the first pair of healthy buds. Gomero
It seems humidity and lack of air movement can encourage problems like what you’re describing. Great care should be taken between cuts to sanitize your pruners to prevent the problem from spreading. A few other things to consider: -I think it's ideal to make sure the trees bark is dry and stays dry when storing for the winter. Make sure when watering to only water the soil and take care not to get the bark and branches wet. -Be sure that the water is draining well and that the root mass has the opportunity to breath. I feel it's important to avoid shredded mulch as it has a tendency to matt together. I also set my large pots on bamboo sticks (or rollers) to allow air circulation under the pot (only a small space is needed). Concrete tends to have condensation when going through freeze thaw cycles. If a pot is against that it may be keeping the bottom of the pot too moist. The good news, usually this will fix itself over the next growing season. My Dad bought a B&B Sango Kaku in spring that was stored in a hut over winter. The high humidity, overhead watering sprinklers, and lack of air circulation cause black tips on many small branches to die back. The tree recovered just fine over that summer. The next spring he did not have any problems. If he continued to have problems we were going to treat it with copper spray, but it was not necessary.
:( I was fairly certain this was the cause/reason; it wasn't too bad (even though it was on nearly every branch), and it helps that the tree is as well-branched as it is. The trees have all been outside the past few days/nights as it's been so nice, but when I did have them in the garage, I made sure to open the door for sunlight and air movement every day. And I most definitely sanitized my bonsai shears in between. I've only had to water about twice a month, and I've made sure to have the trees outside for the whole day after watering. For a while, some of them were sitting on the garage floor, others on shelves or in carts (see attached picture), but now with the exception of a few, they are all raised up off the floor. We've had a few nights dip into the mid-20's recently, but other than that, we've been anywhere from 40-65F during the day and around freezing, give or take a few degrees, overnight... Forgive my ignorance, but what does the copper spray do? Can I buy it at any garden center?
Copper sulfate or copper hydroxide, yes. Feel free to check out the following for more information on the problem and how to prevent it. http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/nursery/htms/bblworn.htm Information specific to Japanese Maples http://japanesemaplediseases.blogspot.com/
Great collection of maples. You have given me a great idea with your picture. I was stressing on another post about our warm winter and trying to figure out what I was going to do if things started leafing out too early. I could build flats on rollers to bring out when the weather is warm and roll back in during cold snaps. THanks! You know, I remember last summer wondering about all the growers living in that terrible heat and how the maples would fare. I don't know how you could help but have some stress from summer that might have weakened some. I winter mine in what sounds like the exact same way, in my garage, no light, etc. I only water once a month, though. I'd rather have them a little dry. I plan on taking them all out of the garage today for inspection, just to see how they are doing. It's supposed to rain all day, so this will be the first time they have been watered them since Jan 1. Kay
I'm all for Bordeaux mixture (copper spray) but it's not a cure-all for pseudomonas. Maybe it will help with dieback, but I don't see that it will prevent it. Anyway it's not a bad treatment and has been around for a very long time. Pseudomonas are now thought to be present in rain; perhaps among the oldest bacteria around, maybe even a cause of raindrop formation in clouds. Further there is evidence that they work within near-freezing water to promote local temperature minima which may help them to frost-wound bark and enter into the plant. If there is a chemical control that works, I don't know of it. After all this stuff is a bacterium and those can be very hard to kill... One of the articles mentions streptomycin, which I would be interested in trying but have been unable to buy locally (cf agri-mycin).
I agree, once an outbreak occurs there is nothing out there that will cure it to my limited knowledge. I like to think of a problem like this as being like our own health. Some of us may have a family history of a particular health problem. We can do things to improve our health i.e. lifestyle changes or maybe in addition to life style change their maybe a drug we can take or follow holistic practices as just a few generic examples. In some cases this is what we need to do in order to prevent the problem. In other cases, even if we do everything right, sometimes we fall victim to our family history possibly due to genetics or the area we live. Sometimes we may not even have a family history, but the right circumstances can lead up to a problem. Ok, back to trees… So maybe it's better said to take measures not to promote the problem, especially in those varieties that are known to be susceptible or in growing conditions and environments that are known to be susceptible. (like when we established having a "family history") Some ideas would be, but are not limited to: -Sanitize between pruning cuts so that we do not spread the bacteria from branch to branch or tree to tree. -Avoid winter pruning. I know there are different beliefs out there regarding when to prune. The bacteria needs a way to enter the tree (frost helps this happen in nature) we help it happen by pruning. There may be some advantages to winter pruning, but this is one possible disadvantage, because we are pruning near a season where our trees are most susceptible to an outbreak. -Avoid overhead watering in the dormant season. Water that does not dry can turn to ice on branches that remain moist. Ice is one of the most powerful forces on this planet. On a small scale it's enough to crack concrete and even lift it up. On an even smaller scale it can cause damage to the bark giving the opportunity for an infection to occur. -Use mulch. There are many benefits to mulch. When it comes to a bacterium that’s thought to be in the soil, mulch can prevent a force like rain, or our watering, from splashing the bacteria up onto the branches (year round). One other idea is to think drainage. If we have poor drainage in our landscape or containers not only will our maples be unhappy, but we are encouraging the bacteria to splash up onto our trees from the pools of water. -When dealing with a bacteria keep in mind that it can become resistant to the things we use to treat it. The article talks about the resistance or effectiveness of copper spray treatment, which the percentage of resistance is pretty high to some mixtures. No treatment is 100% effective. Some areas or climates may need to spray regularly as a means to control a very well-known problem for that area, but because they need to spray doesn’t necessarily mean we all should. If you get into the habit of spraying "just because", then it may be that when you really need the help the spray could be less effective or all together ineffective. -Protect our container grown trees and stressed trees from frost. When we hear the word frost in the spring after our trees have leafed out it tends to get our attention. When we hear frost in the fall, for many of us we tend to take a relaxed approach as the growing season comes to an end. But actually this fall frost usually causes the damage needed to foster the problems we face in the late winter / early spring. Let's face it, bacteria were here before us and will still be here long after we are gone. I think getting to know our local environment, understanding the varieties of trees we grow, and developing an understanding of the potential problems we face and their causes, will better our chances for success in our own garden.
Thanks!! I know my collection is only going to get bigger, much to my husband's dismay, lol. Regarding the carts, I wanted something to be able to move my trees around more efficiently, and asked my father-in-law to make me the smaller cart first (about 18" x 2ft) and it was so handy, I asked him to make me a larger one to a) accomodate moving more small plants at once; and b) to make moving my large Everred (in a 20gal half whiskey barrel) easier. The large cart is 3ft x 4ft and, when loaded, can get very heavy. But, one modification we made for the large cart is the board that makes up the frame on the end of the cart is on a hinge and can 'open' so that you have a little built-in ramp to help shimmy the large pot into the cart and so that you don't have to lift the large (aka heavy) pot over a lip to get it into the cart. Last summer was horrid, and I'm really hoping we don't have a repeat this year... I make sure to keep them on the dry side, but it seems like I've been watering about every 2-3 weeks - some of the small pots a little more frequently...
Figured I'd continue on in this thread since it's about the same tree... I noticed a scar (?) on one of the branches the other day; any idea what the cause could be? It's been in the garage (brought out on nice days, or the garage door left open during the day) all winter, and I don't recall seeing it last fall - but that doesn't mean it wasn't there at the time, I just didn't see it...
Hmm,have seen this type of wound many times here and also on some of my plants.I've been pondering the reason for the dead looking patches with the groove running down the stem for a while and want to run an idea past you guys here. We all know that when pruning it's advisable to do so beyond the branch collar for 2reasons...to allow complete circular healing around the removed stub and to minimize the spread of decay.The results of pruning before the branch collar(ie flush)on larger branches can be seen as an eliptical scar,the top and bottom of the wound try to heal properly(ie circular)but the sides are unable to do so and just close in. I myself and perhaps many are guilty of just snipping off little branches here and there without a second thought,often flush with the carrying stem and then forgetting all about it.In doing so I wonder if this could be the cause of these wounds as I'm damned if I can remember all the little branches I've snipped off over time. Thinking about how the plant could heal this wound,I think it has no other option than to 'roll in' scar tissue longtitudally from the main stem without a branch collar or at least a stub,thus causing this groove we see.The damage beyond the wound may just be the plant's inability to minimize decay quickly without the branch collar.A flush cut means any infection will enter straight into the main fluid flow of the carrying stem.....I'm never gonna flush cut again! Anyway just a thought :-)
